hakeem jeffries speaking to reporters. rep. jeffries: tens of millions of americans are about to experience dramatically increased health care costs because of the republican refusal to extend the affordable care act tax credits. from the very beginning of his presidency, republican control of the house and the senate, as well is the administration, has been a disaster for the american people. these extremists promised all last year the costs were going to go down on day one costs haven't gone down in america. costs have gone up. the trump tariffs are increasing

expenses on everyday americans by thousands of dollars per year. housing costs are out of control. grocery costs are out of control. counter costs are out-of-print -- childcare costs are out of control. electricity bills are through the roof. and now republicans refuse to do a thing to prevent health care costs from dramatically increasing in a way that will deprive tens of millions of americans of the ability to go see a doctor when they need one. republicans have done nothing over the last several months to address the health care crisis that they have created. and they continue to refuse to take yes for an answer. democrats have an active discharge petition, and all we

need are a handful of house republicans to join us and we can trigger an up or down vote on a three-year extension of the affordable care act tax credits to save the health care of the american people. every single state in this country, and protect the health care of people who these so-called republican members allegedly represent, but who have failed to do a single thing to make their life better. questions? reporter: leader jeffries, senate democrats expressed openness to the credits -- why propose a three-year clean extension? rep. jeffries: time has run out on republican inaction. they have done nothing over the

last 60 days but stumble, fumble, and bumble as it relates to addressing the health care crisis they have created. understand that this year, house republicans enacte the largestd cuts to medicaid in american history. these extremists have thrown 14 million people off of medicaid. at the same period of time, hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health centers are closing all throughout the country, including in rural america, because of what republicans have done in their one big ugly bill. they've launched an unprecedented assault on the centers for disease control and the national institute of health, jeopardizing the well-being of the american people. vaccines are increasingly unavailable in the united states of america. children are getting sick

unnecessarily all across the country. and now on top of all of that, that parade of horribles, republicans refuse to extend the affordable care act tax credits, which are going to expire this month. time has run out on republicans playing partisan games. we have a discharge petition that if it received an up or down vote in the house of representatives, we are confident will pass. but obviously mike johnson has zero interest in protecting the health care of the american people. instead, these extremists are gutting the health care of the people they represent, including in the state of louisiana. reporter: senate democrats next week will be able to put out a vote for the aca subsidies. do you think there is any plan

that republicans would get on board with you have a bipartisan bill? and if not, what should democrats put up on the floor instead? rep. jeffries: there are republicans in the house and the senate who during the trump republican shutdown consistently said that once the shutdown ends that they caused, that they would be willing to address the health care crisis that they have created. most immediately by extending the affordable care act to tax credits. now we hear nothing but crickets from them. it even appears that the trump administration was ready to put forth a plan that would at least have been worthy of consideration and that mike johnson tanked it. so now mike johnson wants to act like he is the speaker of the house? really, when it comes to the health care of the american

people and possibly doing something bipartisan, he wants to act like he is in control, when the reality he has done nothing but then the need to donald trump since-- bend the knee to donald trump since january 20? i mean house republicans have been nothing but a rubberstamp for donald trump's extreme agenda since january 20. and when it appears that donald trump might be willing to enter into a good-faith bipartisan negotiation to extend affordable care act tax credits, house republicans detonate the agreement. these people aren't serious about anything other than providing massive tax breaks to the billionaire donors. that is not a hypothetical statement. that is not hype. that's not hyperbole. it happened. they enacted the largest cut to medicaid in american history. they ripped food out of the mouths of hungry children and

seniors and veterans, this year, in their one big ugly bill. 186 billy dollars cut to --$186 billion cut to snap? why did they do all that? so they could were whether billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. the extreme's are showing the american people who they are. as a result, the only viable path forward, it appears come in the house and in the senate is a straight extension of the affordable care act tax credits. let's see what senate democrats put on the floor next week, and we will continue to press our case on our side of the capitol . reporter: thank you, leader jeffries. i just wanted to ask if there has been any formal or informal back channeling with republicans who might be supportive of the discharge petition going on at all. rep. jeffries: well, you have 13

republicans a few weeks ago indicate in a letter they wrote to deputy speaker mike johnson that as soon as the shutdown was over, they wanted to address the affordable care act tax credits. but now it's nothing but silence from these people. because they are not serious about helping the american people, the hard-working american taxpayers that they purport to represent. this has become painfully obvious to the american people, which is why republicans are getting wiped out electorally all across the country, as we saw last month. literally in every single state in the union, destroyed, up and down the ballot across the country. statewide races to local races and everything in between. the american people are done with these people. they have been a disaster. they lied about fighting the

lower the high cost of living. instead, they have jammed their extreme right-wing policies down the throats of the american people, who are being hurt as a result. you know, our view about the situation, as we have repeatedly said, is that we are open to finding a bipartisan path forward. but the extremists continued to refuse to take yes for an answer. they had an opportunity, right, to accept a very reasonable proposal that leader schumer put on the table a few weeks ago, which was a straight one-year extension of the affordable care act tax credits, and then a bipartisan commission to discuss improvements to the health care of the american people over a multiyear period of time. what was objectionable about that? republican extremists rejected

it because they have no interest in doing anything to make life better for working-class americans, everyday americans, and hard-working american taxpayers. and that's a shame. reporter: thank you, mr. leader. on the discharge petition, is it your expectation that all house democrats will sign. as of today only 213 have signed. is it your expectation that all members of your caucus will sign it? and following up on the cover question about factional conversations, is it your position the fact that the subsidies expire in 30 days, the urgency that you say the moment requires, is that enough for republicans to sign on, or will it require some proactive conversations on the part of house democrats to get them to break ranks with leadership and sign off to this effort? rep. jeffries: well, there certainly haven't been any leadership conversations because mike johnson has zero interest in protecting the health care of the american people, and he has

repeatedly made that clear. now, in terms of whether there are conversations member to member between the house democratic caucus and members of the house republican conference, there certainly have been some informal conversations led by folks like tom suozzi, who has floated a two-year proposal with modest reforms that we would have to take a look at. but there is no indication that even that proposal has support from house republican leadership. these people have zero interest in making life better for everyday americans. and they repeatedly make that clear, they are in the face of the american people about it. meanwhile, you've got donald trump issuing reckless pardons, destroying half of the white house, bailing out argentina, posting erratically on

thanksgiving. like, this guy can't even give us a break on thanksgiving when we are with our families. in the american people that enough--and the american people have had enough of it. these people have gone way too far. they have broken everything a promise that they have that-- every single promise that they have had. and so yes, we could always hope that there are a handful of republicans who would actually do what they said they would do once there shutdown ended, to work with democrats to find a path forward. but that path right now is an extension of the affordable care act tax credits. i think i discharge petition in record time is about 212, 213. it is my expectation we will have complete and total unity among house democrats. reporter: thanks, mr. leader. you just mentioned how republicans and democrats across

the country in past elections. what is your expectation tomorrow intimacy that the immigrant there--tomorrow in tennessee that the democrat there could pull off? rep. jeffries: seems to me it could be an unexpectedly close election, single-digit election. that's shocking. in deep red tennessee? mark green's district? by the way, this is a district literally that donald trump just won by 22 points. last november. this is not a district that anyone believes should be competitive. no rational person believes this district should be competitive. and yet it is apparently very competitive. it's going to be a much closer than expected race. republicans have already lost.

the fact that they are spending millions of dollars to hold a seed that donald trump just won by 22 points is extraordinary, and more evidence that republican extremists are completely and totally on the run, because they have failed the american people. and it's democrats who are making the case all over the country that we are actually the ones fighting to lower the high cost of living, fighting to fix our broken health care system, and five need to clean up the type of corruption -- fighting to clean up the type of corruption that has the american people disgusted. what i don't understand is that republicans keep doubling and tripling down on their extremism, and it ain't working. they are losing all over the place. donald trump's approval rating in the most recent alupka poll -- gallup poll is 36%. 60% of the american people

disapprove of the sky. he is a disaster. and how the president and mike johnson are holding a rally -- and now the president and mike johnson are holding a rally tonight in mark green's district that trump just won by 20 two points because they are scared to death about what could happen? if these people, if these extremists were actually rational, instead of doubling and tripling down on extremism and continuing to lie to the american people, why don't they just change direction and actually partner with democrats to solve problems on behalf of the american people? when the congress convened at the start of the year, we made very clear we will work with anyone, anytime, anyplace, new administration, other side of the aisle, to make life better for the american people. but republicans have refused.

they have gone down this my way or the highway approach. and we basically -- we are not down with that, because we are not going to go along to get along when the policies are hurting the american people. reporter: leader, wanted to talk to you a little bit about trump's immigration plan to ban third world citizens. i mean, and a lot of them are trying to come here to make a better life. have your thoughts on that, sir? rep. jeffries: our view is that, one, of course we support the notion of having strong border security. no one ever disputes that. we have a broken immigration system, we need to fix it. it should be fixed in a comprehensive and bipartisan way. but at the same time, we are going to stand up for a law-abiding immigrant families

and communities who have been under assault by donald trump and the so-called secretary of homeland security. they are a disgrace. we are going to stand up for dreamers, we're going to stand up for farmworkers, and for farmers, who have been crushed by donald trump's extreme policies. and in this country, it shouldn't be that complicated that we are both a nation anchored in the rule of law and a nation of immigrants, a gorgeous mosaic of people from all across the world. it's why we are the envy of the world, because that is one of the ingredients of american exceptionalism. and the american people don't want us to lose it, which is why even donald trump's immigration policies right now are deeply unpopular and underwater. reporter: the white house is denying that secretary hegseth had anything to do with the double-tap strikes unelected venezuelan drug-- on alleged

venezuelan drug boats in the caribbean. a, do you believe that? b, if he and officials are found culpable of war crimes, you think democrats will take punitive legislative action against them? rep. jeffries: the white house is lying, that's no surprise, because they lie for a living in the american people know it. it is my understanding that pete hegseth, so-called secretary of defense, was absolutely involved. i think he may have even recently acknowledged that, because the facts are incapable of being disputed. so the question in front of us, and i believe there will be bipartisan investigations in both the house and in the senate, in order to determine whether war crimes were committed in either u.s. law or international law, or both, were

violated. it's already been crystal clear that pete hegseth is the most unqualified secretary of defense in american history. i called for him to be terminated months ago. when the signalgate scandal first broke out. everybody on capitol hill knows he should have never been confirmed. it's a shame. it's because these senate republicans, just like house republicans, are nothing more than puppets for donald trump's extreme policies. that is why they put pete hegseth into that position when they knew he was woefully unqualified. and now we have real evidence that extrajudicial killings are taking place. that's a stain on america's leadership in the free world, which is why our international standing is plummeting, and of course, the standing of the republican party is a complete

and total disaster here in the united states of america. reporter: thank you, leader jeffries. following up on immigration, one of the more controversial policies president trump announced in recent days is his intent to potentially strip citizenship away from anybody he feels isn't a benefit to the united states. what is your reaction to that? rep. jeffries: that was an unhinged statement by donald trump. he knows he does not have the capacity to strip citizenship away. he's behaving like a want to be king, and the american people are rejecting that. reporter: -- mention to clean up the ethics in washington. do you support the chip roy bipartisan bill? do we have any evidence that a bill like that could make it this time after years of failure? rep. jeffries: yeah, it's not clear to me that the legislation introduced by chip roy is actually going to make it out of the republican-run committee,

yet alone on the house floor, because mike johnson and steve scalise and republicans oppose the legislation. these people have zero interest in cleaning up the corruption that is benefiting members of their party in real time. we know that's the case because donald trump and his administration is the most corrupt administration in american history. it's not even close. richard nixon is way down in the distance. it's wild, the corruption that we are seeing in real time. and we don't hear a peep from mike johnson, steve scalise, or any of them up at the corruption that is taking place, in the administration, and the supreme court, or in the congress. house democrats have made clear can we overwhelmingly support a ban on congressional stock trading. and as soon as we can bring a

bipartisan bill to the floor, and that may have to wait until we take the gavels back after november 2026, we plan to do it. thanks. reporter: when it comes to the hegseth and the attacks in the caribbean, you talk about the bipartisan approach. are you confident that republican-led committees are going to do a dutifully and complete review of this? and to what extent, given the nature of control of the house rhino, would impeach-- right n would impeachmento be an option? rep. jeffries: well, republicans will never allow impeachment to be brought to the floor. donald trump will not allow them to do it. what is on the table is a meaningful investigation which we have hope can be bipartisan. i have a full and complete trust in adam smith, the once and future chairman of the house armed services committee.

i can't speak to whether i've got any confidence as to what republicans will do on the other side of the aisle. one thing that should be clear, to all of these republican extremists and the sycophants and the people who are either actively involved in corruption, violating the law, engaged in extrajudicial activity, is that the statute of limitations for any crimes being committed now, five years, it will extend well beyond the end of the trump administration. thank you all. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2025] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

points last year. . >> thank you so much for being here! i'm fired up for this race! i want to thank mr. willis johnson for what is the coolest barn in america! i have been here before. thank you to the governor.